How Much Do Influencers Charge Per Post? [2023] (2024)

10 mins

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In 2023, the size of the global influencer marketing industry is forecasted to reach a whopping $21.1 billion. That’s an increase of 225 percent over the past five years. The reason is simple: most marketers find that influencer content performs better than brand-created content. To get started, you need to know how to budget for it. Therefore you need to understand how influencers get compensated.

Influencer marketing costs

Influencers accept various payout structures, here’s what a recent study by Adweek and impact.com found: creators generally prefer a flat fee to a commission alone, and four out of five creators want both. However, before we add performance marketing to the mix, the path to understanding how much influencers charge per post is simple.

Before you hand over your precious marketing spend, consider these variables:

• Which audience you are trying to reach
• The type of influencer involved
• The media platform
• The quality of the media
• The desired level of engagement
• Creative mandates
• Production costs
• Timeline
• Return on investment (ROI)

Payment is often contingent on the size of an influencer’s following. With this in mind, social media influencers are often categorized by their audience size:

• Mega-influencers or celebrities (1m+ followers): Famous beyond social media, i.e., movies, TV, music, or sports stars.
• Macro-influencers (250k–1m followers): Subject matter experts that became popular by sharing their passion for a topic on social media.
• Mid-tier influencers (75k-250k): Their reach extends to an audience size that’s middle-of-the-road compared to the other influencer tiers.
• Micro-influencers (15k-75k followers): They capture a highly engaged audience with their relatability and authenticity. Micro-influencers are the most popular tier, connecting with 46 percent of audiences.
• Nano-influencers (<15k followers): The most cost-effective tier that connects with 33 percent of audiences due to their genuine passion for niche subjects.

A bigger audience doesn’t always yield better results. According to impact.com’s research with WARC, micro-influencers have the best engagement rates even if their number of followers is smaller. Keep that in mind when you judge value based on followers.

At the end of the day, price points can only be fairly established on a case-by-case basis. It’s useful for any marketer considering using influencers to see benchmark figures. Below we’ll explore types of media and the costs associated with posts.

Cost by social media platform

The second step to determining payment for influencers is truly understanding the social media platform on which they work. Payments vary by platform, as does customer interest. Influencers gravitate toward specific platforms so know which your target audience likes to use.

More often than not, influencers are most active on these social media platforms:

• Instagram: 92%
• TikTok: 43%
• Facebook: 41%
• Blog: 39%
• Pinterest: 20%
• Youtube: 15%
• Snapchat: 4%

Influencer fees generally follow a range of costs per post—although these can vary drastically depending on the influencer niche, gender, engagement rate, location, etc. The following rates are the average influencer earnings per post in the United States, based on rates gathered from impact.com’s expert influencer programs team.

Cost per Instagram post

Instagram is the most widely leveraged social media platform. Here are the rates you can expect to pay per post in 2023:

Cost per TikTok video

TikTok was the most downloaded mobile app worldwide in 2022 with 672 million downloads. In video content, TikTok is becoming an increasingly popular tool for influencers seeking to go viral.

TikTok tends to have high levels of engagement, which makes pricing even more cost-effective, and well below YouTube pricing for video content.

Here’s what you can expect to pay per post for TikTok videos in 2023:

Cost per YouTube video

YouTube pricing is higher and more fragmented than other media because video content is more time-consuming and expensive to produce than images or word-based posts.

YouTube sponsorships include integrated videos or dedicated videos. In an integrated video, your brand, product, or service features in a portion of the video. On the other hand, dedicated videos showcase your brand, product, or service in the entire video.

Here’s what the average YouTube sponsored video will cost in 2023:

Cost per Facebook post

While on the low end of the influencer marketing budget, Facebook still provides an important platform for influencers to reach followers.

Here’s what you can expect to pay for a Facebook post in 2023:

Cost per Snapchat story

Snapchat influencers typically charge by number of views, which is often contingent upon their follower count.

This is the average rate of Snapchat posts in 2023

Cost per X post (formerly Twitter)

Twitter (currently rebranding as X) typically reaches fewer impressions than on other social media platforms, but it may be the right channel to meet your audience where they are. Twitter rates tend to be lower, which can be very cost-effective for your brand. Content from other platforms can often be syndicated to Twitter for an even lower cost.

These are the prices you can expect to pay for influencers on Twitter:

Setting a budget for an influencer marketing campaign involves carefully considering various factors to ensure you allocate your resources effectively and achieve your desired outcomes. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set a budget for your influencer campaign:

12 steps to creating your influencer campaign budget

1. Define your goals: Start by clarifying your campaign objectives. Are you aiming for brand awareness, engagement, lead generation, sales, or a combination? Your goals will shape the type of influencers you work with and the metrics you’ll track.
   
2. Identify your target audience: Understand who your target audience is and which social media platforms they frequent. This will help you determine the appropriate influencers to collaborate with.
   
3. Research influencers: Identify potential influencers who align with your brand values, niche, and target audience. Consider factors like follower count, engagement rate, content quality, and authenticity. Influencers with larger followings may charge more, but micro-influencers can offer more targeted engagement.
   
4. Determine compensation models: Decide how you’ll compensate influencers. Common methods include monetary payments, free products/services, affiliate commissions, or a combination. Some influencers might also accept a negotiated deal based on your specific campaign goals.
   
5. Calculate costs: Consider the various expenses associated with your campaign, such as influencer fees, content creation costs (if applicable), product shipping costs, and any additional fees (for example, platform fees). Also, allocate a portion of your budget for unforeseen expenses.
   
6. Budget allocation: Depending on your campaign’s scale and goals, determine how much of your overall marketing budget you will allocate to influencer marketing. Consider the potential ROI when deciding on the budget allocation.
   
7. Negotiate with influencers: Reach out to selected influencers and discuss your campaign goals, expectations, compensation, and other details. Be open to negotiation, especially if an influencer’s rates exceed your initial budget.
   
8. Measurement and tracking: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your campaign, such as engagement rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, or brand mentions. Ensure you have mechanisms in place to track these metrics.
   
9. Test and optimize: If you want better insights into your campaign’s effectiveness, consider starting with a smaller budget and testing different influencer partnerships. Use the insights gained to refine your strategy and allocate resources more effectively in the future.
   
10. Legal and contractual considerations: Ensure that you have clear contracts or agreements with influencers that outline compensation, deliverables, timeline, usage rights, and any other relevant terms.
    
11. Contingency plan: Keep a portion of your budget as a contingency fund to address any unexpected changes or opportunities that may arise during the campaign.
    
12. Post-campaign analysis: After the campaign, analyze the results against your goals and KPIs. Evaluate the ROI and assess the overall effectiveness of your influencer marketing efforts.

A final word on the cost of influencer marketing

Remember that influencer marketing is an evolving field, and the effectiveness of your campaign can be influenced by numerous factors. Flexibility and the ability to adapt your strategy based on insights gained will be key to achieving successful outcomes.

FAQs

For a deeper dive into the different influencers tiers and to determine which one fits your strategy, check out our Ultimate guide to influencer tiers: from nano creators to megastars.
To get started with impact.com, request a demo or contact grow@impact.com.

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